Kirkstall Festival: Abbey will rock to sounds of local bands

Up and coming bands will have another chance to rock out in the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey this summer as the annual Battle of the Bands returns.

Budding musicians from across Leeds will take over the youth stage at Kirkstall Festival 2017 for the third year in a row, vying for the chance to be named the 2017 winner.

Leeds Museums Kirkstall Battle of the bands

Youngsters aged 13-19 are being invited to enter the prestigious contest, with an expert panel of music industry professionals charged with whittling entrants down to just 12 finalists.

The lucky dozen acts will play a 15-minute set for a crowd of thousands at the festival, which takes place on Saturday, July 8.

Councillor Brian Selby, Leeds City Council’s lead member for museums and galleries, said:

“Leeds has a very proud tradition of supporting up and coming acts and this is a fabulous opportunity for some of our young musicians to perform in front of thousands of people at one of the city’s biggest annual community events.

“Performing in the beautiful grounds of Kirkstall Abbey at such a huge event could be a real launching pad for talented musicians and I hope our aspiring young rock stars take the chance to get involved.”

To enter, acts should send a video link of their band performing to Leeds Museums and Galleries’ youth curator Angie Thompson at youth.curator@leeds.gov.uk by 4pm on Friday, June 16. More details here.

Kirkstall Festival is free to attend and regularly attracts crowds of around 25,000 people. It will also include stalls, a fairground and displays.